Culture of Nigéria

Nigéria

Commemorative dates:

New Year (January 1st) New Year’s Day, which is on January 1, marks the start of the year in the Gregorian calendar and it's a public holiday in many countries. Count down to the New Year, no matter where you are.

Labor Day (May 1)  Labor Day is also known as May Day and is a public holiday in many countries across the world. It usually occurs around May 1, but the date can vary.

Eid al-Fitr (May 12) Eid al-Fitr is a Muslim celebration that marks the end of the Ramadan fast. It is celebrated on the first day of the month of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. In some formal societies this celebration is also known as "Sweet Celebration" or "Little Celebration". The religious Eid is one day, but it is often celebrated for 3 days.

Eid el Kabir (july 20) Eid al-Adha is an Islamic festival to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim (also known as Abraham) to follow Allah's (God's) command to sacrifice his son. Muslims around the world observe this event.

Independence Day (October 1) Independence Day is an official national holiday in Nigeria, celebrated on the first of October. It marks Nigeria's proclamation of independence from British rule on October 1, 1960.

Christmas (December 25) Christmas in Nigeria is a family event, a time when lots of family members come together to celebrate and have fun. Most families, that live in cities, travel to the villages where their grandparents and older relatives live.

Boxing Day (December 26th) Boxing Day is the term used in many English-speaking countries to designate a secular holiday celebrated on the day after Christmas Day, that is, on December 26th. In Nigeria, Boxing Day is a public holiday for working people and students. When it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, there is always a holiday on Monday. 

Money:

    Naira is the currency that officially circulates in Nigeria. The Central Bank of Nigeria is the body in charge of issuing Naira and regulates the volume of money in the offer to facilitate monetary and price stability. The Nigerian government's Security Printing and Minting Company, which belongs to the Nigerian government, is responsible for minting the currency and operates in Lagos and Abuja. Nigeria's currency is 100 kobo. Nigeria's economy is among Africa's largest economies and has sectors such as oil refining, building materials, pharmaceuticals and cement.

Coins

    In 1973, coins were introduced in denominations of 1⁄2, 1, 5, 10 and 25 kobo, with the 1⁄2 and 1 kobo in bronze and the higher denominations in cupro-nickel. The 1⁄2 kobo coins were minted only that year. In 1991, smaller 1, 10 and 25 kobo coins were issued in copper-plated-steel, along with nickel-plated-steel 50 kobo and 1 naira. On 28 February 2007, new coins were issued in denominations of 50 kobo, 1 and 2 naira, with the 1 and 2 naira bimetallic.

       1⁄2 kobo                   1 kobo                   

                    

      

         5 kobo              10 kobo

       25 kobo                   50 kobo                 

1 naira             2 naira  

Banknotes

    On January 1, 1973, the Central Bank of Nigeria introduced notes for 50 kobo, 1, 5, 10 and 20 naira. The 50 kobo notes were last issued in 1989. In 1991, 50 naira notes were issued, followed by 100 naira in 1999, 200 naira in 2000, 500 naira in 2001 and 1000 naira on October 12, 2005.

Government:

    The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a country located in West Africa, with a territory of 923,768 km2, slightly larger than the state of Mato Grosso. The most populous country on the African continent, with just over 170 million inhabitants, its capital is Abuja, which, like Brasilia, was planned to become the administrative center of the country in 1991.

    

    Nigeria is a republic, with the president acting as head of state and government. Nigeria has a long history of coups d'état, military regime and dictatorship. However, that pattern was broken on May 29, 1999. Under the current constitution, presidential elections are to be held every four years, with no president serving more than two terms. The Nigerian legislature consists of two chambers: a Senate and a House of Representatives. All legislators are elected for four-year terms. Nigeria's judicial branch is headed by a Supreme Court, whose members were appointed by the Interim Decision Council, which governed Nigeria during its recent transition to democracy. All Nigerians over 18 can vote.

                                            Current president: Muhammadu Buhari

Typical dishes:

    The cuisine of Nigeria is known for its variety and richness, a country located in West Africa uses in the preparation of its dishes herbs from various origins that add flavors to food, as well as palm oil in the creation of intensely flavored salads, soups and broths are also very common. The dishes are quite colorful and diverse and fries are also widely used. The typical dish of Nigerian cuisine is pepper soup made with a spicy sauce that can be made with fish or goat meat. Fried bananas are also very popular in Nigeria. In rural areas it is also possible to find many houses that make their own yogurts, which are generally delicious and it is also worth mentioning the delicious fish cakes, symbols of local cuisine, all very spicy and tasty.

    Typical dishes include a spicy sauce made with yams, red peppers, peppers, tomatoes and more basic ingredients. Called soup, the dish still receives a lot of veal or goat meat, some prefer to add fish. The "Dodô", pieces of fried banana, is well known there. Highlights of this rich gastronomy: beef, grilled fish, dried cod, rice, vegetables and chicken, palm oil and tomato extract.

Dodô:

    Dodô, as it is called in Yoruba, refers to fried sweet plantains. For bananas to be caramelized properly, they use ripe bananas.

Jollof Rice:

    This is one of the most popular foods in Nigeria and is eaten in every part of the country. You may wonder what it is that can be so highly rated and it will shock you to know that it is simply rice prepared with tomato, onion, pepper, and some other spices. It is sometimes served with vegetables, chicken or beef and fried fish.

Curiosities:

1-Economy of Nigeria

    Nigeria is the 11th largest oil producer in the world. This raw material accounts for the largest share of the country's exports, and the oil and natural gas sector represents a share of 10% of its GDP, according to OPEC. Despite this, agriculture, which corresponds to 21.1% of GDP, is the sector of the economy that concentrates most of the labor force.

2-Religion

    Most of the Nigerian population is a follower of Islam, with more than 50%, then Christianity, with more than 40%. The rest is divided among other types of beliefs. Islam appears strongly in West Africa and the country has one of the largest Muslim populations in the world.

3-The oldest man     According to archaeological records, Nigeria is one of the oldest places of existence for man. There has been human occupation since 9 thousand years before Christ, in the region where the African country is today. In addition, in the same region emerged one of the first civilizations, the Nok society, which existed between 500 and 200 years before Christ.

8D group 2 

Elias de Aguiar Matos Junior - Typical dishes and Curiosities

Kaique Barbosa Oliveira - Commemorative Dates and Money

Rebecca Vitória Mello Silva - Commemorative Dates, Government and Curiosities